Furnace front



R. MACKIE. FURNACE FRONT.

FILED SEPT.23| 1920.

Feb. 13, 1923.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Feb. 13, 1923. R. MACKIE. FURNACE FRONT. men sePnza. 1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Feb. 13,. 3.92;

R. MACKIE.

FURNACE FRONT.

FILED szmzs. 1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Feb. 13,1923.

4 $HEETS--SHEET 4- Patented F eb. 13, 1923.

airs stares inane ROBERT ll/IACKIE, OF WOQLSTQN, ENGLAND.

runnaon rnonr.

Application filed September 23, 1920. Serial No. 412,256.

To all whom 2'25 may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT MAoKin, a

subject of the King of Great Britain and.

comprise inner and outer vertical plates con-.

nected by longitudinal upper, lower and side plates to form'an air box. or chamber having valve control air inlets in communication with an external air supply chamber, an opening in the inner vertical plate leading to a furnace tube or chamber and an opening in the outer plate provided with a fire door. The present invention has for its object to provide an improved furnace front arrangement of the type referred to.

According thereto, the air coneemployed when burning liquid fuel, is carried by a plate removably attached to the inner vertical member of a furnace front of the kind referred to whereas on the other hand in order to convert the furnace into one suitable for burning coal, said plate and air cone are removed and replaced by a metal cheek or block having therethrough a firing opening adapted to extend in line with an opening through a removable box or conduit that is fitted to the bottom of the air boX in the furnace front when the furnace is arranged for coal burning, the said cheek and box being formed with appropriate openings to admit air to the furnace from the surrounding air trunk or air supply chamber. With such an arrangement, assuming the furnace is arranged for burning oil and that it is desired to convert it into a furnace for burning coal, it is only necessary to remove the oil sprayer from the fire door and by means of a bolt and washer to close up the hole otherwise left in such door; to bolt to the inner side of the fire door a baflie plate; to take out the fire brick linings of the furnace tube or chamber and the plate which carries the air cone and to bolt to the furnace front the firing entrance box or condu it and the metal check or block which take the place of the air cone and its carrying plate. By then fitting the furnace with fire bars and bearers the conversion is completed. These few simple alterations occupy but little time to efi'ectand the furnace frontin either case perfectly suited for burning the particular fuel, either liquid fuel or coal respectively, for which it is designed.

The accompanying illustrative drawings show one construction of furnace front according to'the invention, Figs. 1 .to a inclusive showing the furnace front adapted for burning liquid fueland Figs. 5 to 8 inclusive showing it adapted for burning coal. F 1 is a front elevation of the furnace front, Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line Il-II of Fig, 1, Fig. 3 is a horizontal section onthe line III-HI of Fig. '1, Fig. 4

shows the furnace front partly in'frontelevation and partly in section with parts removed and on the line TVIV of Fig.2. Figs. 5 to 8 are similar views to Figs. 1 to 4: respectively but portions being omitted.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 4, the furnace front comprises inner and outer vertical and parallel plates or walls a a connected by upper, lower and side walls a a and a respectively forming with the plates a a a box: enclosing an air space band formed with air inlet openings a through which air can enter the inner space 6 from the outer surrounding space or trunk (Z in the usual way, under the control of ordinary automatic non-return'air inlet valves 0 pivoted at c. The inner wall a of the furnace front is fixed to the front end wallof a boiler furnace tube 7 and is provided with a rearwardly extending cylindrical extension a that projects into the furnace tube. The outer wall a of the furnace front is formed into a firing opening a and provided with a fire door 9 adapted to carry a removable liquid fuel sprayer or injector g. 71, if, ]L2 are the coaxial sections of an air supply. cone connected together by joggled bars 2' and arranged in front of the fuel injector (7.

' This air cone is connected by the bars 01 to a removable vertical plate 1 0 which is bolted to the furnace front by bolts m and is seated in a recess a formed therefor at the inner end of the rearward extension of, of the vertical plate a. The inner side of the plate and the wall of the furnace tube are, when burning liquid fuel, lined with firebricks 7. The air to support combustion is supplied under pressure to the inner space I) surrounding the air cone through the openings a controlled by the automatic non-return air valves 6. The furnace door 9 may be arranged to be locked in the closed position by means, such as levers 6 that are adapted to close the said air valves c in the act of unlocking the door.

For conversion of the furnace front thus adapted for burning liquid fuel into one for burning coal, the liquid fuel injector g is removed from the furnace door 9 and by means of a bolt n, nut 0 and washers p at opposite sides of the door (Fig. 6), the hole it previously occupied is closed. A perforated bafiie plate 1 spaced by distance pieces 8 some distance inwardly from the inner face of the door 9 is then secured to the door by bolts t passing through holes in the door previously closed by bolts, nuts and washers as shown at a in Figs. 1 and 3. The air cone h, h, b and the plate is that carries it, are, together with the firebrick lining f, removed after releasing the holding bolts m, and the fire brick lining f taken away from the furnace tube f. The plate is made in sections to permit of its ready removal. In place of the air cone and plate 70 there is bolted to the recessed rearward ex tension at of the plate a of the furnace front, a metal cheek or block 4) (Figst and 7 formed with a circular firing opening 41 which registers with the fire door opening a7. This check 11, which is made in sections to facilitate its being put in position and removed, is or can be fixed in place by the same bolts m previously used for fixing the cone carrying plate 70 in position. The cheek or block 0 is also formed with a number of air inlet holes 0 at each side of the said firing opening '0. At its lower part it is provided with a downwardly extending bearing portion 0 to support one end of a series of fire bars. Extending between the said check or block 0; and the outer wall a of the furnace front and resting upon a horizontal seat or support a carried by the fur nace front, is a metal box or conduit to which is fixed in place by bolting an external flange w thereon to the vertical inner plate a by bolts e0 the seat or support a has openings a therethrough. The opening through this box or conduit is in line with the opening o in the check or block o and the fire door opening (6 The said box or conduit to is formed with an air opening 10 in its top wall through which air admitted to the surrounding space Z) in the furnace front can pass and thence flow to the furnace tube f through the said box or conduit and the opening 'v in the check or bloc: o. Air can also pass from the said space .7) into the opening '0' in the cheek or block 1) through the lateral holes 42 therein. As will be seen from Figs. 6 and 7, the check or block 41 abuts against the flanged inner end of the box or conduit to and has its inner surface flush with part of the said box or conduit. The fitting of fire bars to the bearing portion o of the cheek or block '0 and the fitting of other bearers within the furnace tube 7 for such fire bars completes the conversion and the furnace is then completely equipped for burning coal.

It will be understood that details of construction can be varied without departure from the invention.

l/Vhat I claim is 1. For the alternative use of oil or coal fuel, a furnace front comprising inner and outer vertical plates connected by longitudinal upper, lower and side plates forming an air supply box having air inlets additional to an opening in the inner vertical plate leading to the furnace and an opening in the outer plate, a horizontal support carried by the furnace front between its inner and outer plates, valves controlling said air inlets, and a fire door fitted to the opening of the outer plate, the said inner vertical plate being provided on the side next the furnace and at a part thereof outside the air supply box, with a longitudinal rearward extension adapted to form a seat, means through which fuel can be introduced into the furnace comprising a vertical member adapted to engage said seat and means for clamping said member to the air supply box.

2. The combination with a furnace front according to claim 1, of a cheek or block held against the longitudinal rearward extension of the inner vertical plate of the furnace front and having an opening ex tending therethrough, means connecting said cheek or block to the furnace front, a box or conduit resting upon the support carried by the furnace front and secured to said furnace front, the said box or conduit having an air supply opening therein and havmg its firing opening arranged opposite the firing opening in said check or plate and the fire door opening, a baffle plate fixed to the inner side of the fire door and means for closing the opening in the fire door through which the oil sprayer extends when using oil fuel.

3. The combination with a furnace front according to claim 1, of a check or block held against the longitudinal rearward ex tension of the inner vertical plate of the furnace front and having a firing opening extending therethrough, bolts connected to said check or block, extending through the inner and outer vertical plate of the furnace front and secured to the outer plate,

nace front, and bolts securing said box or conduit to said furnace front, said box or conduit having an air supply opening therein and having its firing opening arranged opposite the firing opening in said cheek or block and the fire door opening, a baffle plate fixed to the inner side of the fire door and means for closing the opening in the fire door through which the oil sprayer extends when using oil fuel.

4. The combination with a furnace front according to claim 1, of a cheek or block held against the longitudinal rearward extension of the inner Vertical plate of the furnace front and having a firing opening extending therethrough, means connecting said cheek or block to the furnace front, a box or conduit resting upon the support carried by the furnace front and secured to said furnace front, the said box or conduit having an air supply opening therein and having its firing opening arranged opposite the firing opening in said cheek or plate and the fire door opening, the said cheek or block being arranged to abut against the said air box and the inner surfaces of both being flush with one another, a baffle plate fixed to the inner side of the fire door and means for closing the opening in the fire door through which the oil sprayer extends when using oil fuel. 7

5. A furnace front according to claim 2, wherein the cheek or block secured to the inner vertical plate of the furnace front is provided with a series of lateral air inlets.

6. A furnace front according to claim 2, wherein the cheek or block secured to the inner vertical plate of the furnace front is provided with a bearer for supporting one end of a series of fire bars.

- Signed at Southampton, England, this eighth day of September, 1920. I

ROBERT MACKIE. 

